David
according to the Hebrew Bible was the second king of the United Kingdom of
Israel, and as per the New Testament Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor
of Jesus. His life is usually dated to c. 1040–970 BCE, his reign over Judah c.
1010–1002 BCE, and his reign over the United Kingdom of Israel c. 1002–970 BCE.
The Books of
Samuel, 1 Kings, and 1 Chronicles are the only basis of information on David, even
though the Tel Dan stele (dated c. 850–835 BCE) have the phrase ביתדוד
(bytdwd), read as "House of David", which most scholars take as
confirmation of the existence in the mid-9th century BCE of a Judean royal
dynasty called the House of David.
He is portrayed
as a righteous king, though not without faults, as well as an acclaimed
warrior, musician, and poet, usually credited for composing many of the psalms
contained in the Book of Psalms.
David is
central to Jewish, Christian, and Islamic doctrine and culture. Biblical
tradition upholds that a direct descendant of David will be the Messiah, and in
Islam he is deemed to be a prophet.
